Receptacle



R. B. BENJAMIN.

RECEPTACLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1| I915.

Patented Jan. 1-3, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I HAM EEE R. B. BENJAMIN.

RECEPTACLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1915 1,328,22% Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

m I, n i rnn ghllllii 35 1 I "M fi mllllll 'IIHIIII l-lly-lllllll' I U ITED STA ES PATENT orricn.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, or CHIcAGo, ILLINOIS, AssIcNoR 'ro BENJAMIN ELECTRIC mNUrnc'r RING COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINQIS,' A CORPORATION or LLI- NOIS.

RECEr'rACLn Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Application flleil April 1, 1915.- Serial No. 18,454.

To all whom it may concern:

-Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJAM N,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook'and State of Illinois, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Receptacles, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact I description, reference being had to the ac;

companying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

My 111V8I1t1011 relates 'to receptacles, andmore specifically to a receptacle provided with center and shell contacts for engagement with avscrew shell attachment plug,

and also provided with spring contacts for engagement with the contacts of the binding terminal carrying member such as thecap of the separable attachment plug.

Among the objects of my invention to provide a device of this character which shall be simple of constructioinis eificient in use and in which the electrical contacts are effectively insulated, and in which provision is made for preventing accidents due to coming in contact with-the live parts of the receptacle, and in which PIOVlSlOIl is made for preventing arcing when the at.-

tachment plug is withdrawn from the recep-, 'ta'cle.

Further objects will appear from the detailed description to follow,'taken in connec-" tion with the appended claims.

In th drawings, in which I have shown two em diments of my invention'= Figure 1 is'a face'view ofcmy i receptacle showing the same in position in an outlet box, showing the manner in-which it secured'to the box, and showing. the

relative positions of theshell; center and spring contacts and the binding screws)?- Fig. 2 is a section su'bstantlally on the line 2- 2 of Fig. 3, showing the location of the binding plates with respect to the con- The middle tacts;- Fig. 3. is a slde view of the receptacle showing the manner in which the two parts of thebase are held togethery Fig. 1 is a section substantially on the line.

4 40f Fig. 1 showing the manner in which the :eenter and shell contacts are. held in place on the base and showing the insulating protector for preventing accidental contact with the live parts; I

Fig. 5 is a section on'the' line 5-5 of Fig. Wh .3 1 spring mproved contacts are secured to the base and showing attachment plug;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the spic'ling contact secured on the binding plate; an

Fig. 7 is a section showing. a modified form of-the insulatin-g'protector', the section being throughthe axis of the shell contact.

Referring nowto the drawing in detail the receptacle comprises an insulating base formed ofitwo members 10 and 11, for supporting the shell contact 12, the center-contact 13 and the spring contacts 14'-which engage the contacts 15 of a binding terminal carrying memberysuch as the cap 16 of a separable attachment plug, as shown in Fig. 5. The spring contacts 14 are secured by meansof rivets 17 to. a' retaining member through. an opening 20. in the portion 10 leading fromthe "recess 21 in which the contacts 14 are located. The reduced portion 19 extends outwardly through an opening 22 in the binding plate 22 and is provided with prongs 23 which are bent over on 'top of the binding plate 22, as shown in Fig.

' ment with a correspondin projection 26 on the contact 15 to retain t e cap 16 in'position. 'Theextreme lower ends of the contacts 14 are provided wi h outwardly extending lugs 27 to guide the contacts 15 in place'between the contacts 14; and to .prevent the contact 15 from entering between the contacts 14.- and the walls ofthe recess 21. ortions of the spring contacts '14 arebowe that they bear against the side walls of -the recess 21. The side walls of the recess 21 I are provided with grooves 29 to provide "cT arance for the lugs 27 and the rivets 17, T

flange 31 on the cap 16 to center the latter.

It will be 'noted that when the cap 16 is in 18 having a reduced portion 19 extending outwardly, as shown at 28,- so

e portion 10 has a frusto-conical projec- 10a 'tion 30 which extends within the upstanding latter are in engaging position so that when the cap is separated by other than a straight line movement the tips of the contacts 15 move substantially directly downward with very little sidewise movement, thus facllitatlng eas separation of the parts. The threaded s ell contact 12 has an outwardly extending flange 32 at its upper edge between the portions 10 and 11 ofth'e base, and is cutaway as shown at 33 to prevent electrical contact with the binding "plate 22 which is connected with the'center contact 13. The flange 32 has an outwardly extending lug 34 fore'ngagement with the screw 35 wh1ch connects it electrically with the binding plate 22, as shown, in Fig. 2. The binding plates 22 are provided with binding screws 35 for connecting the leading in wires, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The center contact 13 comprises a downwardly extend ing post 36 of conducting material which is reduced, as shown at 37 where it extends through an opening. in the-plate 38 which is of conducting material and which connects the center contact 13with the binding plate 22 through thescrew 39, as shown in Fig. 4. The center. contact 13 is flanged over above the plate 38 to hold it in position. A screw 41 having its head seated in a recess 42 in the projection 43 of the portion 11 extends downwardly through an o ening 44 intothreaded engagement with t e contact 13 to hold the-latter securely on the portion 11.

An insulating protecting-member 45 is pro- Vided with an annular outwardly extending flange 45 at its upper end which fits slidabl within the cylindrical portion 46of the she I contact 12. The outward movement of the,

protectin member is limited by engage ment of t e flange 45 with an inwardly extending bead 47 on the shellcontact 12. The

.inwardly to receive the plug. The member- 'member 45 has a center opening 48 therethrough large enough to receive the center contact 13 whenthe member 45 is pushed- 45 is normally held in its lower or outward pos1tion;(Fig. 4) by means of a coil spring 49 one end of'which is seated in an annular recess 50 in the member 45, the other end of wh1ch is seated within an annular proje'c:

. tion 51 on the portion 11. The projection 51 is cut away as at 52 to accommodate the 0011-.

ducting plate 38. member 45 has-an annular projection 53 which normally extends beyond the threaded shell 12 to prevent accidental contact with the threaded shell. The portion-10 of"the base has an annular projection 54'which ex-' tends through the opening in the cover plate of the outlet box. The insulating portion- 11 of the base is provided with side recesses55,

Figs. 1,2 and 3, to accommodate the leading. in w1res, and the insulating portion. 10 15 provided with side recesses 56 to permit axis The lower end of the to the binding screws 35*. j The portions li) and 11 are secured together by means of screws 57 extending therethrough. The retaining clips 58 are; also secured to the screws 57 and are provided with slots 59 through.

which screws 60 extend. into engagement with the inwardly extending lugs 61 on the outlet box 61*, as shown in Fig- -1. The clips 58 have laterally extending wings 61 for engagement with the cover of the outlet box.

The use and operation of the device of this modification is as follows. If it is desired to insert a screw shell plug into the threaded of the "receptacle, the center contact 13 entering the opening 48 in the member 45.

When the plug 1s unscrewed from the shell 12 the spring 49 forces the protector 45 outwardly to the position 'shown in Fig. 4 to prevent accidental contact with any of the live parts of the receptacle.

It will be noted that when the plug is being unscrewed from the shell 12 the center contact 13 will be located within the recess .48 so that the protecting member 45 will surround the center contact 13 to prevent arcing between the centercontact 13 and the other conductin and other conducting parts.

The circuit including the' shell and cen ter contacts12 and 13 is from the binding screws 35*, binding plate 22, screw 39, plate.

38, centercontact 13 to the shell contact 47,

through the screw 35 to the other bindingplate 22 and binding screw 35 The circuit for the contacts 14 is from the binding screw parts, and also preventarcing between the center contact of the plug 35 through the binding plate 22, retaining member 1 8contacts 14 and 15 through the translating device to the other contacts 15 and 14 and retaining member 18, to the other contact plate 22 and binding screw 35.

In themodification of Fig. 7 I have shown a difi'erent form of protecting device, the

insulating portions 10 and 11,.the shell con'-' tact 12 and the binding plate 22, and theconducting-plate 38 being the sameas i'n'the first. modification. In this modification theinsulating protecting member 62 has an eyelet Ior hollow rivet 63 of conducting material extending axially therethrough and flanged over at 64 and ,65 to hold it in place. The member 62 has an annular projection 66-on its lower face which normally extends below the shell contact 12 to prevent acci dental contact with-the shell, andfisprovl'cld with an annular recess 67 in its upper face to receive the lower 'end of the coil spring 49 which normally holds the member in its outward position, as shown in 1g.

The conducting plate 38 is held firmly in position on the portion 11 by means of a screw 68 seated in the recess 42 of the projection 43. In-this modification when the plug is inserted in the shell 12 it pushes the protector 62 ahead of it until the eyelet- 1. In a device of the character described,

areceptacle constructed to receive a device, which device has a center contact and a shell contact, said receptacle comprising a shell contact for engagingsaid first named shell contact and a movableprotector which in a first position makes the electrically charged parts difficult of access and in a second position makes said parts accessible, said shell contact. being substantially cylindrical and said protector being cylindrical and guided by said shell.

. 2. In a device of the character described, a receptacle constructed to receive a device, which device has a center contact and a shell contact, said receptacle comprising a shell scribed my name.

contact for engaging said first-named shell contact and a movable protector which.

in a first position makes the electrically charged parts diificult of access, and in a second position makes said parts accessible, said shell contact being substantially cylindrical, and said protector being cylindrical and ided by said shell, and a coil spring coaxial with said shell for normally holding said protector in its first'position.

3. A receptacle comprising two insulating portions, a center and shell contact, and a pair of springcontacts carried by said portions, a binding plate between said portions, and electrlcally connected to said center contact, and one of said spring contacts, ailid a binding screw engaging said binding ate. a v L-In a device of the character described, a safety receptacle constructed to receive a device,- which device has a center contact and a screw shell contact, said receptacle comprising a screw shell contact for engaging said first named shell contact, a movable protector which in a first position makes the e1ectri cally charged parts diflicult of access and in a second position makes said parts accessible to the plug contact, and a spring acting on said movable protector to resist the entrance of the device, the threaded engagement between the threaded contacts however preventin the spring from forcing the plug out. 0 the receptacle after it has been screwed into place.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub- REUBEN B. ENJAMIN. 

